#CubaNow Launches with Ad Buy Calling on President Obama to Take Action on Cuba Policy

New Advocacy Organization Debuts with Month of Metro Ads Targeting White House & State Department

WASHINGTON – #CubaNow, a new 501(c)4 organization, announced its official launch today in conjunction with an ad buy focused on President Obama, calling on him to take action on U.S.–Cuba policy. The launch comes almost exactly five years to the day since President Obama first took steps to allow greater contact between Cuban-Americans and their friends and families in Cuba, helping usher in more change in that time than had been seen in the previous fifty years. #CubaNow is launching with the mission of informing, connecting and inspiring a new conversation around those changes and advocating for practical and effective policy solutions that empower individuals to serve as catalysts for meaningful change in Cuba.

In series of ads that will focus on the Washington, DC metro system targeting the State Department and the White House, #CubaNow will make the case that the President can and should take further steps that both advance America’s best interests while also helping the Cuban people. For an entire month, the ads will highlight the changes happening in Cuba, and the obvious, that our 52 year old Cuba policy simply hasn’t worked.

“It’s time to bring the conversation on U.S.-Cuba policy into the 21st century,” said #CubaNow Executive Director Ric Herrero. “The results of the President’s changes five years ago speak for themselves, and highlight that the choice between a hardline approach and embracing the Castro regime is a false choice. We can both maintain pressure on Cuba over their abysmal human rights record, while supporting the Cuban people as they create greater socio-economic freedom for themselves.”

“There’s a growing consensus from a wide range of experts and stakeholders that there’s plenty the President can do within his existing authority,” added #CubaNow Founding Member Andres Díaz, a former Obama Administration official. “It’s time for the President to act.”

In addition to the initial round of advertising, #CubaNow will convene experts, stakeholders, and voices of change from the United States and Cuba in the coming weeks and months to dig deep into the changes happening on the island, where the Cuban people themselves are leveraging modest economic reforms into greater economic independence that was once unheard of. An embodiment of the new political landscape, #CubaNow will also work to highlight the growing consensus in the United States for a new approach. The launch and first-of-its kind advertising campaign calling on the President to act marks an unprecedented shift in the debate over Cuba policy.

The ad campaign features three versions, one focused on Cuban pro-democracy blogger Yoani Sanchez’s comments that those outside Cuba should support Cuba’s new independent entrepreneurs; another focused on the fact that our 52 year old Cuba policy hasn’t worked; and a third highlighting the power of people-to-people connections. All of them call on the President to act immediately. Below are images and ad copy of each, which can also be found on #CubaNow’s website at www.cubanow.us.

It Hasn’t Worked

Text: “Mr. President, it’s time to take action on Cuba policy. Our 52 year old Cuba policy hasn’t worked. It’s time for a new approach.”

Our Best Ambassadors

Text: “There have been more changes in Cuba since President Obama expanded travel and remittances than in the past 50 years. The American people are our best ambassadors. It’s time to allow all Americans to travel freely to Cuba.”